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7/17 Ryan Dempster rumors

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the Red Sox are aggressively pursuing Ryan Dempster. As a player with 10 years in the Majors, and five with one team, Dempster has the power to veto a trade. He’s drawing a lot of interest from teams looking to fortify their rotation, including the Dodgers and Yankees. The Cubs are looking for top prospects in return. We’ll have to wait and see if Theo Epstein can make a deal with his former assistant GM, Ben Cherington. This is the last year of Dempster’s contract with the Cubs, and he currently leads the Majors with a 1.86 ERA.

But WEEI.com in Boston reported Tuesday that Major League sources say Dempster isn’t on the Red Sox’s wish list. Dempster also is a pure rental, which could influence what teams are willing to give up in exchange for th right-hander. Players must be with a team for an entire season in order to qualify for draft-pick compensation, so if Dempster is traded, the team that acquires him won’t get Draft picks if he leaves after this season.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports the Cubs are exchanging names with teams interested in Dempster, and lists the Dodgers, Tigers, Braves and Red Sox as teams in the hunt. Rosenthal also reports the Red Sox are interested in Matt Garza, although the price for him will be high. Garza is under club control through next season. He has a career 23-15 record, 3.34 ERA vs. AL East teams.

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